Research

Off-type grasses in ultradwarf bermudagrass greens

March 12, 2019 By Eric Reasor, Ph.D.

Golf course superintendents have reported issues with off-type grasses in ultradwarf bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x C. transvaalensis) putting greens over the past several years. These “weedy” grasses have disrupted putting green aesthetics and surface uniformity (Figure 1). Fundamentally, off-type grasses ...

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Annual bluegrass weevils (Photo: Charles Mazel)

Mowing down weevils

March 7, 2019 By Ben McGraw, Ph.D.

Many turfgrass managers in northeastern North America would rather forget the 2018 growing season. Record-breaking rainfall throughout the region affected most aspects of turfgrass management, including insect pest control. The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW), Listronotus maculicollis, is one insect pest ...

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Annual bluegrass weevil damage (Photo: Katherine Diehl)

A lesser of two weevils?

February 26, 2019 By James Murphy, Ph.D., Mathew Elmore, Ph.D., Katherine H. Diehl and Albrecht M. Koppenhöfer, Ph.D.

The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) can inflict severe damage on annual bluegrass (Poa annua) fairways, greens and collars. Because the ABW showcases a strong preference for annual bluegrass over creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), we hypothesized that manipulating traditional insecticide programs ...

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Cool-season fairway species (Photo: Cale Bigelow)

Midwest cool-season fairway water requirements

January 31, 2019 By Cale A. Bigelow, Ph.D. and Jada Powlen, Ph.D.

Fairways are some of the largest areas of irrigated golf course turf. Although regions like the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast (where creeping bentgrass is widely used) are considered “humid,” acute drought can persist for weeks. Combine drought with water scarcity ...

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Leaf spot disease symptoms (Photo: Maria Tomaso-Peterson)

Leaf spot and dollar spot on ultradwarf bermudagrass greens

January 22, 2019 By Phillip L. Vines and Maria Tomaso-Peterson, Ph.D.

Ultradwarf bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x C. transvaalensis) is the predominant putting green turf in the southern U.S. This grass, however, produces profuse amounts of thatch, which leads to increased disease pressure from leaf spot (Figure 1), caused by Bipolaris cynodontis, ...

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Visible differences in turf injury at seven days after application. (Photo: Ross Braun, Ph.D.)

Ryegrass injury and recovery from human insect repellent

January 14, 2019 By Jared Hoyle, Ph.D., Ross Braun, Ph.D. and Peyton E. South

Superintendents commonly observe turfgrass injury from human insect repellent (bug spray) overspray on human skin and clothing. The injury most commonly occurs as an outline shape of unaffected footprints with damaged surrounding turf. This injury results in unacceptable turf quality. ...

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